Ditch The Baking Soda: Try This Instead To Finally Say Goodbye To Funky Fridge Odors

Sodium bicarbonate has long been a staple in removing gross food smells in the refrigerator, but you might want to think twice before putting baking soda in your fridge to fight odors. Though baking soda is known to neutralize acidic odors because it's a base, there's a more effective solution that can tackle other types of odors as well. Charcoal is another natural odor buster that fights bad fridge smells by absorbing various organic compounds that create stinky smells. While many different types of charcoal, such as the briquettes used for grilling, will work against nasty fridge odors, activated charcoal is the most effective because it's drier than other types.

Another reason charcoal is more effective than baking soda is that it's porous. Activated charcoal, also known as activated carbon, has tons of tiny pores that provide more surface area, which allows it to absorb more organic odor-causing molecules. On the other hand, baking soda needs to be spread out to reach a large enough surface area to be effective, which is why setting an open box of it in the back of your fridge doesn't always work. Now, you can ditch the baking soda and banish bad smells inside your refrigerator with this easy solution.

Though baking soda has been a trusted odor removal method for a long time, charcoal is likely the better choice. In a smell test done by America's Test Kitchen, two fridges with either a cup of baking soda or activated charcoal and various stinky foods inside were sniffed at different times over a month. Participants continually picked the refrigerator with activated charcoal as the better-smelling appliance. Additionally, activated charcoal is used by water treatment plants to remove compounds that make drinking water taste and smell bad. If odors linger after you clean your refrigerator, try grabbing some charcoal to get rid of that gross stench for good.

Simply put some activated charcoal pellets into a small tray or container and place them inside your fridge to start absorbing odors. You might try setting your charcoal in the back of your refrigerator by the ventilation system to help get smells out of the air circulating in your appliance. Leave the charcoal in your refrigerator for a few days and remove it once the smells are gone. If necessary, you can replace the charcoal and let it sit for another several days for really stubborn odors. While activated charcoal can be found at pet stores, as it's used for aquarium filtration, you can use new charcoal briquettes as well if you already have them at home and are in a pinch.